2of2State Representative Sylvester Turner speaks about the importance of the Houston Astros hosting the 2014 Civil Rights Game against the Baltimore Orioles May 30, 2014, during a press conference at Minute Maid Park, Tuesday, Nov.19, 2013 in Houston. (Bob Levey/For The Chronicle)Photo: Bob Levey, Photographer

As an eventual showdown between Houston mayoral candidates Bill King and Sylvester Turner appears a distinct possibility, the rivals' ties to a politically connected tax collection giant is coming under growing scrutiny.

King previously managed the Houston office of Linebarger, Goggan, Blair & Sampson, a delinquent-tax collection law firm that regularly hires state lawmakers, including Turner.

Facing low or dropping poll numbers, former City Attorney Ben Hall and former Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia have played up their opponents' connections to Linebarger while questioning the ethics of the firm's business model.

"Bill is touting his experience. His experience includes … a debt collection firm that has had very questionable practices reported," Garcia said recently, referring to a 2015 CNN Money investigation into Linebarger that focused on the firm's collection tactics and vast political influence. The Austin-based firm has some 2,300 government clients in 23 states, including such local jurisdictions as the city of Houston, Harris County, the county toll road authority and the Houston Independent School District.

Garcia's comments follow a campaign news release that accuses King and Turner of "profiting together off of government contracts."

Hall has voiced similar concerns.

"It may be smart business practice, but it smacks as a poor practice politically," Hall said of elected officials on Linebarger's payroll.

Hall is polling sixth, while recent surveys indicate Garcia has slipped from the front-runner status he has enjoyed from the day he entered the race. As Garcia has fallen, King appears to have risen, leading some to predict the former Kemah mayor could secure a top-two finish on Tuesday, forcing an expected runoff with Turner.

King repeatedly has dismissed Garcia's attacks, calling them nonsensical, hypocritical and not of interest to voters.

The businessman-turned-politician previously said Linebarger operates under a business model that "perfectly aligns financial incentives."

"If you pay your taxes on time, you never pay Linebarger a dime. The only time that you pay any extra penalty is if you didn't pay on time," King said. "You've gotta have somebody to make sure everybody pays."

Rejecting the issue

King was a managing partner at Linebarger from 1998 until 2006, when the firm was sold to younger partners and he took a payout.

Turner, meanwhile, has said the tax collector put his law firm on retainer in 2004 because it does excellent work. Turner's recent personal financial disclosures indicate Barnes & Turner receives more than $25,000 a year from Linebarger.

Linebarger also has employed Houston representatives Senfronia Thompson and Ana Hernandez, Sen. Royce West of Dallas, Rep. Sergio Muñoz Jr. of Mission and state Rep. Joe Deshotel of Beaumont.

Garcia's campaign raised questions about legislation Turner introduced in 2003 that would have reduced Linebarger's profits on government contracts by allowing local taxing agencies to retain a portion of delinquent fees.

The bill never made it out of committee.

The following year, Linebarger hired Barnes & Turner, and Turner never reintroduced the legislation.

"I think they share an equal amount of questions about what that means to leadership and what it means to how you're going to serve the citizens of Houston," Garcia said of Turner and King.

Collecting fees, fines

Asked about the fact that he did not reintroduce HB 2404 after Linebarger put his firm on retainer, Turner said, "Are you serious? … That's my comment: Are you really serious?"

King said he did not remember HB 2404 but said he was sure he hired Barnes & Turner.

King said Linebarger went to Turner at the time because of a Houston redevelopment project it was working on under the Land Assemblage Redevelopment Authority.

"We had a huge number of delinquent accounts up there in that Acres Homes area, and we were trying to sort all that out without starting a wildfire out there by foreclosing on somebody we shouldn't be foreclosing on," King said.

Linebarger spokesman Joe Householder declined to comment on King's version of events but said the firm's "contracts with Barnes & Turner have specifically been relegated to fees and fines collections through municipal courts."

King questioned why Garcia, then a city councilman, voted in favor of a 2005 contract increasing the fee Linebarger could charge on delinquent property taxes.

"Adrian Garcia was at the table. He knew what was going on. He voted to renew the contract," King said. "If the deal was so crooked, why was he down there voting in favor of it?"

Garcia said to his knowledge, he never voted against a Linebarger contract renewal.

"I didn't know what I know today," he said.

Could be a plank

Looking ahead to the probable December runoff, Rice University political scientist Mark Jones said the degree to which Linebarger is mentioned on the campaign trail depends on whether King or Garcia advances alongside Turner.

"It's a potential Achilles' heel for King and Turner, and therefore, I would not expect either campaign or their surrogates to bring it up," Jones said.

However, if Garcia qualifies, Jones said he would expect Linebarger to be "a major plank" of Garcia's criticism of Turner.

Rebecca Elliott covers City Hall for the Houston Chronicle, having previously written about local politics, namely the 2015 Houston mayor’s race. She joined the Chronicle in 2014 as a crime and general assignment reporter in Fort Bend County. A New York City native, she also has reported on politics for Reuters, POLITICO and BuzzFeed.